Fifth Time Lucky
by Emerald Autumn
Summary: An AU of the movie Thor. Loki never went nuts. He married Thor and because of his Jotun heritage, he can have babies. Except that he can't, he's tried. After miscarrying four times Loki and Thor are pretty reluctant to try again. Then Loki finds himself pregnant for the fifth time. Will he be able to carry the baby, or will this pregnancy end in heartbreak like the others?


**Authors Note: This story includes light fluffy romance between two male characters and mpreg and some angst. For readers who don't like such things, I recommend finding something else.**

 **There are also mentions of previous miscarriage and theoretical infant death, nothing graphic but if such things offend or upset you then this is not the story for you.**

 **Also, this is very much an alternate universe story so the characters are considerably different to the movies.**

 **Warnings: mpreg, angst, male/male romance**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Thor or Loki or any other characters, themes etc. within this story, I'm not making money from it I only want people to enjoy it.**

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

He was showing now.

Loki examined himself disdainfully in the mirror, turning this way and that, to see if the image would change. It didn't.

No matter which way he turned he was still pregnant and showing. He was three months gone now. This time had lasted longer than the first two pregnancies so far. But Loki was certain it wouldn't last. He had been so sure the last one would make it. He had lasted until almost the end of his fifth month. Both he and Thor had even begun to relax, confident in the knowledge that this time their baby would make it.

They were wrong. The baby didn't survive long enough to make to the fifth month inside Loki.

Neither had the ones Loki had conceived before that. He should have given up long ago. Why did he let Thor convince him to try again? He was certain now that his body was not meant to carry young. Though he was Jotun, the race of Frost Giants, and supposedly capable of carrying young, he had not succeeded. He was a fool for trying at this point.

If the third time is meant to be the charm…what was the fifth time? Fifth time lucky? That just didn't role off the tongue quite right.

Loki gave a sigh and turned away from his image. He didn't want to see. He didn't want to feel. He wanted to forget and now he couldn't.

Now there would be another layer of pain and grief to add to his already bruised and battered heart. It was only a matter of time.

He walked to the window and settled himself onto the window seat where he had piled his pillows. It was apparently some sort of Jotun nesting ritual. He would create "nests" of pillows and blankets amongst his favourite places. Since the room he shared with his beloved husband was of course one of his favourite places he already had two nests created within it. One was by the window seat, the other by the fireplace.

Why would a Jotun want to nest by a fire place? Loki wondered bitterly. Jotun's enjoyed the cold and couldn't stand too much warmth.

"How are you feeling?" Thor's deep voice rumbled from the door and made Loki jump. Apparently, he had been sitting at the window longer than he had thought if Thor was back already.

"I am fine," Loki said, climbing to his feet and striding toward his husband. He didn't smile. It was not in him at the moment to pretend such happiness, not even for his husband.

Thor enveloped him within his strong golden arms and held him close. Loki hoped his husband couldn't feel the slight bump in his abdomen. Thor would fawn over the bump, would delight in running his hands over the stretching skin and would even talk to the offspring within Loki's womb.

Loki couldn't bear that at the moment.

For now, he just wanted to pretend that everything was fine. That they were not hurtling down that incredibly painful path again.

That he wouldn't lose the child he so desperately wanted but knew he could never have.

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Thor was agitated. Odin was pacing. Frigga was anxious. Loki was…too tired to do anything but be tired.

He was just five months gone now. His baby was moving around almost constantly and though he would like to take it as a good sign, he knew from experience that his body would betray him again. Anytime now, if the past held true.

The four of them were in the family rooms contemplating the latest drama of Asgard. The latest problem revolved around a little colony close to Jotunheim that was getting too big for their boots, to hear Odin talk about it. They wanted more from Asgard than Asgard was willing to give for the trade of furs and silks the colony was known for. It was a petty matter that was turning into a headache for Asgard's ruling family.

"They are demanding more from us in exchange for their trade," Thor growled. "They are making threats now."

"They grow too confident," Odin muttered as he paced. "The friendly trade we once had is little more than folk tales. They think themselves invaluable to Asgard. They are too small to see the big picture and I don't want to cut them out entirely."

"But if you suspend trade perhaps they will see how vital an amiable agreement is," Frigga suggested in her calm voice that had always made Loki feel safe. It had been her that had convinced Loki he was truly loved once his true heritage had been revealed. While Odin and Thor had bumbled their own feelings, being the brawny warriors that they were and far from good with words, Frigga had been calm and sure. So certain was she, that Loki had had to believe her. He was grateful every day she had gotten through to him.

He didn't want to think about what might have happened had he turned his back on his adopted family. He wouldn't have Thor as a husband, he was sure. He might not even have Thor as a friend if Loki had travelled down that self-destructive path.

Loki shook himself from such thoughts and tuned back in to the here and now. It did no good to dwell on that kind of thing. It hadn't happened.

While the others contemplated how to deal with the problems of the trade colony, Loki got to his feet and waddled to his room. Eventually Thor would come to bed. Loki was too weary to wait up for him, no matter how much he wanted to.

He climbed into the big bed and closed his eyes. He fell asleep feeling the gentle nudges of his unborn child and praying this baby would last.

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

He wasn't sure how it had happened. It seemed that one moment he had been lazing about in the sun waiting for Thor to meet him for lunch, the next he was waking up in a very cold and dark cell. The cell was at the end of a tunnel, which might have been an off shoot of a cave system. He wasn't sure about that part. All he knew was that it was cold and the only source of light was a single lantern hung out of his reach on the tunnel wall.

His body had shifted automatically, upon waking, into his Jotun form. Now he paced his cell, growling in frustration and trying to use his magic to break the bars.

It wasn't working of course. His magic had been minimal since he had conceived, the first sign he had been carrying. It was also the main reason they had been able to capture him. If he had been able to access his full arsenal of magic, they would not have even gotten close.

Loki growled at the people moving around. They were too far away for him to touch. Not even his ice could get further than the bars of his prison. They paid little attention as they moved around at the mouth of the tunnel where his prison was located.

After an age of pacing Loki gave a disgruntled growl and flopped down onto his makeshift bed of furs. At least they had been kind enough to give him some sort of bed to rest upon rather than the cold, sharp floor. He sniffed at the soft fabrics and realized who had taken him. That small settlement that had been irritating Odin for the past few weeks. Loki vaguely remembered the details of the meeting but not the name of the settlement. It mattered little to him though.

"With Prince Thor's mate as our bargaining tool Odin will have to take us seriously!" an enraged but whiny voice echoed from the mouth of the tunnel. Loki rolled his eyes. Could they not come up with something more original?

He fully expected Thor and his friends to barge into this dismal cave any time now. All he had to do was wait.

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Apparently waiting was going to take longer than he had originally thought.

Loki paced his cell, rubbing his taught belly and making soft growling noises he barely could make sense of himself.

By his best estimate he was eight months pregnant now. A thrill of excitement ran through him every morning (at least he thought it was morning) when his child would move about in his womb. He had never made it this far in a pregnancy before. Part of him, that scientific curiosity he was known for, wanted to study this phenomenon.

The other part of him wished that Thor were here. He would have loved to see this. Loki wished Thor had been there as his belly grew. His mate had always adored his growing belly when he got pregnant and this last time had been no different.

He was worried now for a different reason than his pregnancy. Thor should have found him long ago and rescued him. The bumbling idiots who had imprisoned him couldn't possibly have hidden him that well.

Loki sighed and then hissed in a breath when anther contraction gripped his belly. He gulped nervously, trying to wet his mouth. That was the fourth one in the past hour. It was too early for him to go into labour but apparently his body didn't know that.

A tendril of fear choked off his next gasp as another contraction hit, worse than the last. Was he losing his baby? Had he made it this far only to lose his child at the last moment?

The next contraction convinced him this was all very real and very scary when he felt liquid start to drip down his thighs. He had already stripped his clothes off and wore only a fur as a cloak when the contractions had begun. No one came down his tunnel unless it was to feed him so he wasn't worried about someone seeing his naked form.

The next spasm that gripped his belly had him keeling over onto all fours and biting back a scream. He had known agony before. Training alongside the Asgardians was hardly a safe practice. But this was somehow much worse.

It was also much faster than it should be.

He had heard how Asgardian women labored for hours, even a full day, before their children were born. His contractions had begun a little over an hour ago and if he was not mistaken his waters had already broken and he was getting ready to push.

Were Jotuns truly that different? He had never really had the chance to study his kin's habits even once he had found out his true origins. There was very little information available to him from the Asgardian library and few others were close enough to the Frost Giants to reveal any hints about biology. Everyone knew they could have children, no matter their apparent gender, but that was about it.

Biting back another scream, Loki vowed that when he got out of this dismal cave he was going to study every single scrap of knowledge he could find on Jotuns.

But for now…

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Thor gripped his hammer tightly and held it just high enough to be threatening as he stormed into the cave. If Mjolnir wasn't scary enough his fierce expression, as dark as the stormy clouds brewing outside, would make any opposition think twice before presenting themselves. He was almost disappointed when they surrendered easily, even begging for mercy.

Really after all the trouble the people of this pathetic planet had put him through the least they could do was put up some kind of worthy fight so he could smash his way through them, right?

"We found him," someone called and Thor raced towards the sound. He could sense his friends following close behind him. They had his back if needed.

A group of soldiers were waiting for Thor at the mouth to a tunnel within the cave. They gestured down into the recess and then stood back to let him pass.

Thor hurried down the dark passage, daring to hope that he had finally located his beloved after all this time. Though he didn't show it, he was terrified to find out what condition Loki was in after the past three months of imprisonment.

If Loki had been on his own, he would have easily broken out of his prison with his magic the same day he woke up in his dismal surroundings. The people of the planet who had taken Loki hostage were far from magically inclined. They did however have a knack for metal work and sometimes metal could have magic woven into it to make it stronger. That was how they had found the cave after all the futile searching, by having Heimdall search for sources of magic.

But Loki hadn't been alone when he was captured. He had been pregnant. As much as Thor would have liked to reassure his husband, he had feared this latest attempt at having a child would end the same as the others had. Loki should have been on bed rest the whole time he was missing. Thor could only guess at the kind of stress his husband had been under while he was being held hostage.

It would truly be a miracle if Loki had survived this long. The child…not even Thor's optimism could make him believe his child had any chance under the trying circumstances.

Mentally steeling himself he reached the end of the tunnel and encountered the frost coated bars that held his husband prisoner.

Thor breathed out sharply upon seeing Loki for the first time in months.

Loki was in his Jotun form. He paced the back of the cell, watching those approaching him with wary red eyes. He wore a furred cloak and nothing else. He bared his teeth and snarled as Thor drew closer. There was no hint of recognition in his eyes; no sign that he realized Thor was there.

There was no sign of the Loki he knew.

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Frigga paced the throne room much like her temperamental son and husband often did. She had thought herself beyond this kind of behaviour but the current circumstances apparently brought out the warrior in her.

And she was stuck in Asgard while her family needed her!

What good was discovering her inner warrior again after so long being the calm and collected voice of the royal family if she was forbidden from leaving the safety of her home?

Now she realized why Thor and Odin paced so often.

"My lady!" a servant rushed into the throne room with a harried expression on her face, "The Allfather and Thor have returned!"

"Did they find Loki?" Frigga demanded.

"Yes, my lady."

"Where are they?"

"They have been taken to one of the spare suites near your son's chambers, Lady Frigga."

Frigga left the throne room without another word. Normally she would graciously thank the servant for the information but she was not feeling particularly patient.

Striding down the hallway in the direction of Thor and Loki's suite of rooms, she imagined she looked much like her son and husband when they were in a snit. The servants and guards parted easily and kept a wary distance, even the two assigned by Odin to watch over her while he and Thor were gone.

She followed the commotion to a set of rooms just down the hall from where Thor and Loki lived. Tense looking guards waited outside the room and reluctantly allowed her entry only upon receiving one of her rare scowls. She had learnt such a look from Loki.

Upon entering the room she expected to see Thor and Odin, maybe a few soldiers, laid up in beds because they refused to go to the medical facility. Barring that, she expected to find her husband and eldest son hovering around the bed of Loki while a healer was brought forth.

She did not expect to enter the room and find the Frost Giant that was Loki pacing and snarling in a crude cage while Thor and Odin tried desperately to calm him down.

"What is going on?" Frigga demanded, raising her voice to block out the din of male voices.

Everyone froze and looked in her direction uncertainly.

"Mother," Thor murmured with a wan smile. "We have found Loki."

"I can see that," Frigga replied without taking her eyes off Loki. The small Jotun eyed her warily but had stopped snarling. He seemed tense and agitated but more relaxed now that the noise was gone.

"He is not well, my love," Odin informed Frigga quietly. "He refuses to leave his cage and used his ice powers to prevent anyone from entering. Heimdall had to transport the entire cage here to keep him calm."

"He does not look calm," Frigga remarked. "What did they do to him?"

"We do not know," Odin admitted, "They surrendered easily and admitted only to locking him in the cage and leaving him alone. Perhaps the solitude drove him mad."

"Or losing the child did," Thor muttered quietly but Frigga heard him all the same.

Frigga jumped, only now remembering the child Loki had been carrying before he was taken. Her gaze sought out Loki's belly but found a relatively flat expanse. There was no child within Loki's womb.

Grief for her sons welled within her but she pushed it down. Time to mourn would come later. For now she had to get Loki back.

Frigga watched her son carefully over the course of the day. She had shooed everyone else out of the room and forbidden them all from entering until she said otherwise. She knew Thor would be sparring with his friends to take his mind off Loki's predicament and Odin would be keeping busy with Asgardian business, as well as finding a suitable punishment for that bothersome little planet of people who had kidnapped Loki.

But they would drop everything the moment she said they could enter.

She had found a book on Jotun pregnancy and hoped to find the source of Loki's anxiety within the pages.

So far she had found a disheartening possibility that explained most of Loki's behaviour.

If Loki had been far enough into his pregnancy to activate certain instincts then, should the child be stillborn at birth, he would still feel the need to protect the corpse from any outsiders.

Jotuns went through a protective nesting phase after birth where they would refuse to leave the site of the birth for at least a full day. After that they would discard the makings of their nest and re-enter the world. Loki must have given birth shortly before Odin and Thor had found him.

Either that, Frigga thought grimly, or he really is too traumatized by yet another death and he is stuck in this permanent defensive nesting phase.

She made a mental note to ask the jailors from the settlement if they had removed an infant's body from the cell. If there had been a body still there, the stench of death would have been noticed by now. Frigga couldn't smell anything but the coldness of Loki's Jotun form.

She felt her eyes prick with tears. Her son had lost so much. Why was life so cruel to him? Always taking away his children…

A least that was what Frigga assumed. She had been sitting in silence watching Loki from the corner of her eye for several hours, making sure he was all right. In the near silence of the room, only broken by Frigga turning the pages of her book or Loki's pacing and occasional growling, came a soft whimpering cry.

Frigga froze and barely resisted spinning around sharply. Loki was easily startled and didn't like loud noises or fast movements. This had been made clear from the start.

Slowly she looked in the direction of the cage and spotted Loki in the far corner crouching over a nest of furs that Frigga hadn't taken much notice of before.

Loki cooed and reached a blue hand into the nest, moving something around. A small cry came from the bundle of furs before Loki scooped it up and brought it to his bare chest.

Frigga could only gaze silently at her adopted son as he held a tiny bundle to his breast. She could barely hear a faint sucking noise and realized with dawning excitement that Loki had a baby.

A live baby, and he was feeding it. How had Frigga not noticed Loki's milk veins were swollen? Only a Jotun with a live offspring could make their milk veins swell. If a child was stillborn the milk would not come through, it would simply be absorbed into the bearer's body.

In his current state, there was no way Loki could perform such an elaborate illusion. A tiny arm flailed out from the furs, a tiny little blue arm that was quickly tucked back into the blanket by a protective Loki.

Frigga felt something in her chest melt at the gesture. Excitement built within her throat and she barely choked back a giggle.

Just wait until her husband and son heard about this!

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Loki slowly came awake and realized he wasn't where he had fallen asleep. He was still in his nest but the nest wasn't cold. In fact, neither was he.

He snapped his eyes open and met the familiar eyes of his mother. Why was Frigga on the other side of his cage? Come to think of it, why was his cage in Asgard?

Memories suddenly came flooding back and he sat up with a wince. He was still sore from giving birth and he was tired. His instincts had gone crazy after he had given birth and he only now remembered what he had done.

He blushed with mortification as he realized he had actually snarled at Thor and Odin.

"How are you feeling, Loki?" Frigga's soft voice had Loki looked up at his mother again. He hadn't even realized he had hung his head to hide the blush. She smiled at him calmly, waiting for his reply.

"Tired." Loki admitted, "Thirsty."

Frigga hurried to a water jug and goblet set on a table near the door. Fruits and meats were aligned on a similar plate and Loki's stomach grumbled as he realized how hungry he was.

Frigga returned with the water goblet and tray of food but paused at the door. "May I enter?"

Loki frowned, confused, and nodded slowly.

Frigga nudged the door to the cage open and walked calmly to him. He suddenly realized why she had asked as he found himself growing tenser with every step she took closer.

 _She is getting too close to my nest!_

Frigga seemed to realize how her presence was affecting him as she put the goblet and tray down a few feet from him and quickly retreated out of the cage.

Loki dragged himself to sit by the sustenance after carefully disentangling himself from his nest.

"Your instincts are still firing." Frigga told him gently, "You shifted your form in your sleep but I expect you will need to stay here for a short while longer."

Loki paused in taking a sip of cool water and looked down at his body. His pale Asgardian body instead of his blue Jotun one.

He shrugged, unconcerned for now, as he quickly ate his fill of the offered plate and accepted another goblet of water.

As he sat he was slowly becoming aware of the need to leave the cell. Some urge deep down in his marrow was telling him it was time to leave his nest.

"I have this for when you are ready to leave." Frigga held up a familiar red cape and Loki almost purred in pleasure as he reached for it. Thor's cape smelled like him and he thought it was only fitting that it be used to take Thor's offspring to the place they would all live.

Loki hurried as quickly as his tired body would let him. He wanted to rest but he knew he couldn't until he had his mate and they were in their permanent nest. Loki blinked at the thought. It must have something to do with his birthing instincts because he had never thought of his rooms as a nest before.

Shaking his head, he set aside his thoughts for the moment and prepared to abandon his birthing nest in favour of his old rooms so that he could see Thor again.

He wasn't sure which urge was greater, the need to rest or the need to see Thor.

Frigga watched as Loki gently removed a slumbering infant from the nest of furs and cradled it within the red cloak. She wondered eagerly if the child was a boy or a girl. Was she a grandmother to a grandson or granddaughter?

Her musings were interrupted when Loki reached back into the furs. She frowned as he juggled one baby on his lap and then pulled another out of the furs.

She could only gape at Loki in amazement as Loki settled two slumbering infants into the cape and then stood, holding the bundle tenderly.

Loki looked up and tilted his head to the side in confusion at Frigga's look. Rarely anything surprised Frigga.

Shaking herself she murmured, "You have twins?"

Loki nodded and held his babies tighter.

"All right." What more could she say?

Frigga had already warned the guards to be out of sight the moment the doors opened. Loki needed solitude as he made his way to the rooms he shared with Thor.

Loki hurried along behind her as she led him away. She could sense how strung out he was. He was exhausted and stressed. He needed his mate, a lot of rest and a decent meal, in that order.

"Here we are," Frigga murmured as she pushed the appropriate doors open. Loki hurried past her and to the big bed. He climbed up onto it and laid his precious bundle down in the centre before he started constructing a nest out of pillows. It was only a temporary one. Once Thor arrived Loki would settle into the bed and sleep. But for now, he needed the security of a nest structure to make him feel safe.

"I'll go and get Thor now," Frigga said. Loki nodded but didn't look up from his nest construction.

Frigga smiled and shut the door, finally allowing herself a real and joyous laugh as she hurried to find her husband and son.

She found them in the throne room. Both were pacing just as she had done. Had it truly only been this morning? She grinned at the sight then all but skipped into the room. She was so blissfully happy that she couldn't contain her smile.

"Mother!"

"Frigga!"

They both noticed her at the same time and bellowed to her in almost identical tones. She smiled indulgently at their behaviour and shook her head fondly. Like father, like son. She wondered briefly if either of Loki's children were male and if too would inherit this loud, boisterous manner.

"How is he, Mother?" Thor asked, sounding both cautious and demanding. Stress lines marred the skin on his forehead and she felt her heart melt at the obvious signs of distress in her child.

"Loki is fine," she assured him. "He is residing in your rooms now, waiting for you."

Thor made to stride past her when she stopped him with a hand on his arm. Her strength was not enough to stop him but still he stopped. He knew her well enough to realize when she wanted to get her way.

"You must be quiet when you enter," she said with a smile and wagging a finger in his face, "I will not have you waking my grandchildren."

With that she waited for both Thor and Odin to realize what she had said.

Three…two…one…

"What?!"

"A child?"

Frigga laughed at the identical looks on their faces.

"Loki gave birth not long before you found him," she explained, "Part of his Jotun instinct is to stay in the same place they have given birth for at least a day. He has moved now, to your rooms, with his children."

There was another short pause.

"Children?" Thor rasped.

"Yes," Frigga smiled tenderly at her desperate son. For so long Loki and Thor had wanted children, only to have that wish denied them again and again. To have it dangled once more in front of Thor was something he was having trouble believing in.

"Are you sure?" Odin asked, quiet and serious, "It is not one of his illusions?"

Frigga shook her head, "Loki is in no shape to perform such an illusion. Besides why would he manifest more than one babe?"

"There is more than one?" Thor choked.

"Aye, two." Frigga smiled tenderly. "You should go and see them, my son."

Thor was out the door before she had even finished her sentence.

Frigga watched him go and then leaned back into her husband's embrace. She had a feeling she wouldn't be seeing either of her sons for quite some time.

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Loki blinked one eye open sleepily as he heard the door open. He raised his head slightly and peered in the direction of the noise. He smiled gleefully upon seeing who had entered.

"Loki?" Thor murmured hesitantly. Approaching without his usual confident swagger. He looked tentative and it didn't suite the brash prince at all.

Loki rolled his eyes, "Get up here already."

Thor was climbing up onto the bed as soon as the invitation was offered. Mjolnir was discarded on the floor, as were his boots and armour.

Loki smirked. Never had Thor shown such disregard for his battle wear or weapon.

Thor reached out and touched Loki's cheek with calloused fingers. Loki closed his eyes at the tender touch.

"You are well?" Oh, it had been far too long since Loki had heard that deep-throated rumble of a voice from his husband.

"I am fine," Loki replied when he opened his eyes again.

A soft noise brought their attention downward to where one of the babies was stirring within the confines of Thor's cloak.

Loki gently lifted the blond-haired boy up and held him close for a moment before handing him over gently to Thor. The babe was so small he fit within the Thunderer's large hands.

Thor swallowed audibly as he held his son for the first time. He had Thor's blond hair and Loki's green eyes. But he also had a Jotun form with white hair, as shown when he got chilly out of the blankets. He was a true mix of the two worlds he descended from.

"What should we call him?" Loki asked quietly.

"It is a boy?"

Loki chuckled and nodded. "Our son." Then he reached into the cape and withdrew the second child, still sleeping. "And this is our daughter." Like Loki she had black hair and green eyes. Her Jotun form was similar to Loki's as well. One day, Loki was sure she would make a fine warrior.

"Fenrir and Hela" Thor said confidently.

Loki thought about it, rolling the names over his tongue as he looked between his children.

"Yes," he said finally, "Those names will do quite well."

 *****Fifth Time Lucky*****

Loki watched from his vantage point as his children toddled around the garden. They were learning how to walk now and were in constant motion. He blamed that on their Asgardian sire.

"Tired, my love?" Thor rumbled, sitting down beside him on the bench situated by the fountain.

"Caring for your offspring is exhausting so of course I am tired," Loki remarked grumpily.

Thor chuckled, "Why are they only mine when they are running around but when they sit quietly they are yours and only yours?"

Loki sniffed but didn't bother to reply. The answer, he thought, was obvious.

Thor pulled him closer with another chuckle and kissed the top of his hair. Loki relaxed into the embrace and forgot, for a moment, about his stress.

"I found it!" the loud voice of Frigga startled the pair as she was usually a calm presence and rarely raised her voice.

Loki and Thor blinked as their mother rushed up to them, waving a book. She dodged the bumbling twins as they raced around a rose bush. Her grin was as broad as Thor's and Loki finally saw where the Thunderer had gotten his notorious grin.

"I was looking through the texts on Jotunheim and I found this reference to child bearing," Frigga explained, sounding out of breath in her hurry and excitement to reach them. She gave them the book and then said: "This explains how a true Jotun has to be within their natural state to bear their young. Any other form is too warm for the foetus to develop properly."

Loki looked down and read the passage his mother indicated. He could feel Thor paying attention as well as they both discovered the reason their children had not survived before the twins.

"So, if we want to have more children, Loki will have to take his Jotun form for the entire pregnancy?" Thor asked, wishing to confirm his understanding.

Frigga nodded, her eyes on Loki. It was no secret that Loki rather despised his Jotun form. He had tolerated it during his time in the cage because it had allowed his body to tolerate the cold without relying on the furs. If there was anything he hated more it was being seen as weak. Now, knowing it had kept his children alive, he was glad for that particular trait.

Loki looked up from the book and regarded his children. They had found something to play with and were sitting down now. They looked absolutely adorable and precious to Loki. He could never hate them. He could never blame them for his having to spend so long a time in his Jotun form. So how could he possibly hate his future children? For there would be more. He refused to allow his twins to be the only heirs of Asgard. They needed younger siblings to teach and show the world to.

"Loki?" Thor asked quietly. Thor wanted more children, always had. Frigga had desired more children than her only son but it was not to be. Thor had always wanted more siblings than Loki simply because he liked the chaos of such a family. He had seen other families, bigger families, on Asgard and Midgard. He wanted that. But he refused to force Loki into something he did not want.

"I suppose," Loki slowly mused, "It would be a worthy sacrifice to walk around in my Jotun body for a few months."

Thor laughed joyously and hugged his husband. Loki squirmed and protested the barbarian embrace but quickly gave up and settled into it. Frigga smiled at her sons and quickly slipped away with the book she had shown them.

There would be more grandchildren for Frigga and Odin, more children for Loki and Thor and siblings for Fenrir and Hela, the miracle babies that had been Loki's fifth time lucky.


End file.
